CMBA sent a letter to Members of the European Parliament last week
claiming that it was wrong to restrict any new data retention powers to
merely "the prevention, investigation, detection and prosecution of
serious criminal offences such as terrorism and organised crime".

"This Directive is of major importance for our sector and we would
appreciate your support in ensuring that this becomes an effective
instrument in the fight against piracy," wrote the CMBA.

Baroness Ludford, who is a member of the civil liberties committee, is confident that parliament will not be persuaded.

"The Parliament will not carry this," she said. "The committee said
this should extend to [offences that merit] a serious arrest warrant
and it must be an offence which carries a minimum of three years, so
this will not include music downloads," Baroness Ludford added.

While Ludford's comments will hearten those who oppose the CMBA's plans, others appear to support the Alliance.

According to the Open Rights Group, another Liberal Democrat MEP,
Bill Newton Dunn, asked that the word 'serious' be removed from the
text of the proposed directive, so it would cover all criminal
offences. Newton Dunn could not be contacted for comment at the time of
writing.

With the European Parliament set to vote on the measures in
December, it is unclear what the European Commission's overall position
now is with regard to the CMBA's request.

The Commission, the body which introduces new proposed European
legislation, had not responded to repeated requests for comment at the
time of writing.